Double Contact (4 page)

“Understood,” said Haslam.

Around them the casualty deck gave an almost imperceptible lurch as the artificial-gravity system compensated for the sudden application of thrust. The repeater screen returned to showing a single, unmagnified picture of the two ships as they grew larger with diminishing distance.

Prilicla dropped lightly to the deck, where he folded his wings and legs tightly before pulling on his spacesuit. Murchison, Naydrad, and Danalta were already climbing into theirs, all radiating minor levels of excitement, expectation, and caution. When he had checked his own air supply, antigravity system, and suit thrusters, he looked around at the others in turn.

“The medical team and powered litters are standing by, friend Fletcher,” he reported.

“Thank you, Doctor,” the other replied. “We are closing with
Terragar
now.”

Prilicla began to worry. Although it was completely without weaponry, in overall structure
Rhabwar
had been modeled on the Monitor Corps' heavy cruiser, a class of vessel whose broad delta-wing configuration enabled it to be areodynamically maneuvered within a planetary atmosphere. But he was afraid that it was much too massive for it to be capable of the small and precise movements in three dimensions that were needed to bring it to within two hundred meters of the distressed ship. Bearing in mind its tremendous mass and inertia, if
Rhabwar
were to collide with
Terragar
it would sustain only superficial damage, while the other vessel would have its hull caved in, with consequent disastrous injuries to its crew.

An ambulance wasn't supposed to
make
medical work for itself.

But there was no sign of worry or even uncertainty in the emotional radiation that was filtering down from the control deck, so he moved to the direct-vision panel to watch the approaching planet and the two orbiting ships that were being lit by the bright, tattered carpet of clouds, consoling himself with the thought that his specialty was other-species medicine and not ship-handling, and wondering what new physiological challenges awaited them.

“Still no sign of life or movement from the alien,” Haslam reported. Its voice was calm and unemotional but it and everyone else on the control deck was radiating intense relief. “The sensors indicate low levels of residual power from two areas amidships, but in my opinion, not nearly enough for a weapons power-up, and the ship appears to have been radiating its internal heat into space for several days without any attempt to maintain living temperature levels, whatever they are for these people. I'd say that the alien ship is a problem that can wait, sir.”

“I agree,” said the captain, “but keep your eyes on it, just in case. Casualty deck?”

“Yes, friend Fletcher,” said Prilicla.

“We will be at one hundred meters and motionless with respect to
Terragar
's position in eleven minutes,” said the captain. “I realize that we will be at extreme range for your empathic faculty, but please do your best to detect the crew's emotional radiation, if there is any.”

“Of course, friend Fletcher.”

The quality of the captain's own emotional radiation belied the calmness in its voice, otherwise it would not have wasted time and breath asking him to do the job that he was here expressly to perform. But the crew of the distressed ship were all Earth-human DBDGs. Perhaps it had friends among them.

He watched with the other members of the team at the direct-vision panel as their ship closed with the Monitor Corps survey vessel.
Terragar
was rolling, as well as slowly pitching end over end. The canopy of the unlit control deck was moving past them at an awkward angle which did not allow a clear view of the interior. But for one brief moment the angle was right, and Prilicla was able to see movement.

“Friend Fletcher,” he said urgently. “I think I detected motion behind the control canopy. Nobody else down here saw anything or they would be emoting about it by now. It was just a glimpse, of faces, hands, and upper bodies of at least three Earth-humans. They are alive, but the distance is extreme for an empathic reading.”

“We didn't see anything, either,” the captain replied, “but compared with your GLNO sensorium, ours makes us feel as if we're wearing mittens and blindfolds. Haslam, deploy the tractor beams and kill the spin on that ship. Position it for a clear view into the control canopy. Then push across a cable with a communicator fitted with a two-way sound-conduction pad. Land it, but gently, on the canopy. We badly need information on this situation, and, of course, to know if anyone needs medical attention.”

The misty-blue light of two of
Rhabwar
's tractor beams flickered out to focus on the bow and stern of the Monitor ship, gradually reducing its spin. A moment later a thinner beam lifted out the communicator, but held it midway between the two ships to wait for its target to come to rest. Prilicla had a slightly longer and clearer view of the people inside the canopy before they rolled out of sight.

“Friend Fletcher,” he said urgently, responding to feelings that he felt sure were not all his own. “I saw four officers, that's the entire complement of a survey vessel. They were waving at us, shaking their heads vigorously in your DBDG nonverbal signal of negation, and showing the palms of their hands. One was pointing repeatedly in the direction of the alien ship and our communicator. The empathic range is extreme but they are radiating high levels of agitation.”

“I saw them, too,” said the captain. “They don't appear to be seriously injured; they're about to be rescued and have little to feel agitated about. Still … Haslam, is the alien ship doing anything to worry us?”

“No, sir,” the lieutenant replied. “It's still dead in the water, so to speak.”

Prilicla paused for a moment, nerving himself for the effort of saying something argumentative if not disagreeable to another person whose irritated or angry reaction would bounce back and hit him hard.

“It was their feelings I read,” he said carefully. “Because of the interference from the emotional radiation around me, theirs were difficult to define. There was agitation, however, and it had to be intense to reach me at this distance. May I make a suggestion and ask a favor?”

The captain was feeling the irritation characteristic of an entity whose ideas and authority were being questioned, but it was quickly brought under control. It said, “Go ahead, Doctor.”

“Thank you,” he said, looking around the casualty deck to indicate that his words were for them as well. “It is this: Would you please instruct your officers, as much as they are able, to relax mentally and avoid intensive thinking or associated feelings? I would like to get a clearer idea of what is bothering the
Terragar
crew. I am having a bad feeling about this situation, friend Fletcher.”

“And since when,” said Murchison in a quiet voice that was just loud enough for the captain to overhear it, “has a feeling of Prilicla's been wrong?”

“Do as the Doctor says, gentlemen,” the captain replied promptly, pretending that it hadn't heard. “All of you make your minds blank”—it gave a soft Earth-human bark—“or at least blanker than usual.”

All over the ship, from the control deck forward and the power room aft and from the medical team around him, they were staring at blank walls and deck surfaces or the backs of closed eyelids, those who had them, or were using whatever other means they had of reducing cerebration and feeling. Nobody knew better than himself how difficult it was to switch the mind to low alert and think of absolutely nothing, but they were all trying.

Terragar
's control canopy had rolled out of sight, but that had no effect on the crew's emotional radiation, which was still tenuous, confused, and at a strength that was barely readable. But without the local empathic interference the individual feelings were gradually becoming clearer and easier to define, and they were anything but pleasant.

“Friend Fletcher,” said Prilicla urgently, “I feel fear and, intense negation. For me to be able to detect them at this range, those feelings must be extreme. The fear seems to be both personal and impersonal, the latter emotion characteristic of a being who fears a threat to others besides itself. I'm an empath, not a telepath, but I'd say … look, they're coming into sight again.…”

He could see no details of the four faces other than that their mouths were opening and closing. Their hands were gesticulating wildly, sometimes pointing at the alien ship but more often towards
Rhabwar
and the communicator floating at the end of its sensor cable midway between their two vessels. Their pale, Earth-human palms were showing as they pressed them repeatedly against the inside of the canopy.

What were they trying to say?

“… They're pointing at the alien ship and at us,” he went on quickly, “but mostly at the communicator you're sending over. And they're making pushing movements with their hands. Their fear and agitation is increasing. I feel sure they want us to go away.”

“But
why,
dammit?” said the captain. “Have they lost their senses? I'm just trying to stabilize their ship and establish a communicator link.”

“Whatever you're doing,” said Prilicla firmly, “it is making them fearful and they badly want you to stop doing it.”

One of the four gesticulating crew members had moved quickly out of sight. Before he could mention it to the captain, Fletcher spoke again. Its voice and the feelings that accompanied it were calm and confident with the habit of command.

“With respect, Doctor,” it said, “the feelings you read from them make no sense, and won't until we talk to them and they explain themselves and this whole damn situation. We need that information before we can risk boarding the alien ship. Haslam, move the communicator close and be ready to attach it when you've killed the spin.”

“Please wait,” said Prilicla urgently, “and consider. The other crew aren't injured, they emote no feelings of pain or physical distress, only agitation at our close approach. So the matter isn't clinically urgent. It will do no harm if you move back a short distance, temporarily, just to reassure them if nothing else. Friend Fletcher, I have a very bad feeling about this.”

He felt the captain's continuing intransigence as well as the beginnings of hesitation as it spoke.

“I'm sorry, Doctor,” it said firmly. “My first requirement is to talk to them as soon as—”

“Sir!” Haslam broke in. “They're pulling free of our tractor beam, on their main thrusters, for God's sake, at over three Gs. They've no attitude control—otherwise they'd have checked their own spin by now. That's stupid, suicidal! They're diving into atmosphere, and when they move farther ahead and their ion stream hits us, we'll be toasted like a…”

It broke off as the hot, blue spear streaming from the other ship's main drive flickered and died, immediately reducing the fear feelings coming from
Rhabwar
's control deck.

“Friend Fletcher,” said Prilicla gently, “I told you that they didn't want us to close with them, but neither do they want to kill us.”

The captain used an Earth-human expression that his translator refused to accept.

“You were right, Doctor,” it went on, “but we'll need to get very close to them indeed, unless we want to watch them burn up in atmosphere.”

CHAPTER 5

Terragar
belonged to a class of vessel that had been designed to operate in the weightless and airless conditions of space, and to dock only with other ships or orbiting supply and maintenance facilities. It was not an aerodynamically clean object and the structural projections supporting its complex of long-range sensors and mapping cameras made it resemble a cross between a falling brick and a stick insect. The congenitally tactless Naydrad observed that physically it bore a close resemblance to their chief.

Even though he knew that his Cinrusskin body was unusually well-formed and beautiful, Prilicla had neither responded nor taken offense. Kelgians always said exactly what they felt; telling a lie was for them a complete waste of time. It was the strong, unspoken emotions of Naydrad and the others, the feelings of loyalty, admiration, concern, and deep personal regard, that were important. Besides, the crucial words and feelings were coming from the people on the control deck.

“Catch up to them and kill that spin,” the captain was saying urgently. “There's no need to be so gentle, dammit! Check all motion, refocus to full strength, and drag them back. We have the power.”

“Yes, but no, sir,” Haslam replied, its voice hurried but respectful. “The tractor acts on the nearest surface. If we drag them back too suddenly we'll peel off most of their outer skin and external hull structures. I have to be gentle to avoid pulling the whole ship apart.”

“Very well,” said the captain. “Be gentle, then, but faster.”

“We're picking up atmospheric heating,” Dodd's voice reported, “so are they.”

In the direct-vision panel Prilicla could see the ponderously spinning shape of
Terragar
as the tractor beam enclosed it in a pale blue mist and drew it closer. The tumbling action was gradually slowing to a stop, but both ships were entering the upper atmosphere much too quickly for the safety of the vessel ahead. Through the confusion of emotional radiation coming from
Rhabwar
he could still feel the intense fear mixed with dogged determination emanating from the other crew. His empathic reading just did not make sense. Not for the first time, he wished he could know what others were thinking instead of feeling.

“You're getting there,” said the captain. “Once you kill the rest of that spin, try to position them so they'll go in tail-first. The stern structure is stronger than the forward section and will burn away slower than the control canopy. Can't you slow them down faster than that?”